There is a certain kind of magic that happens when you pull up to a restaurant and find a working fishing fleet tied up right outside the back door. That is exactly the scene at Cherry Grove Fish House, tucked into the north end of North Myrtle Beach in the Cherry Grove community — a neighborhood that still feels genuinely unhurried, even in the thick of summer. This is not a theme. This is just how things work here.
Cherry Grove Fish House sits along the waterway with the kind of no-fuss confidence that only comes from decades of doing one thing exceptionally well: serving seafood that was swimming in the Atlantic within the past twenty-four hours. The building itself is casual and unassuming — weathered wood, open-air seating along the water, ceiling fans doing their best against the coastal breeze — and that relaxed setting tells you immediately that the food is the point. Nobody bothered to dress the place up because nobody needed to.
What you will find on the menu changes depending on what the boats brought in, and that variability is actually the draw. On a good day, you might sit down to flounder so fresh it nearly dissolves on the fork, or shrimp pulled from local waters and simply sautéed in butter and garlic with just enough seasoning to let the sweetness come through on its own. The she-crab soup is a regional classic done properly here — rich, cream-based, and finished with a splash of sherry that makes it feel both indulgent and deeply Southern. It is the kind of soup that turns into a conversation at the table.
The hush puppies arrive hot and golden-edged, with a faintly sweet interior that pairs perfectly with whatever cold drink you ordered when you first sat down. Sides lean toward the traditional — coleslaw, rice, and vegetables that have been cooked with actual attention rather than afterthought. Nothing here is trying to reinvent anything, and that restraint is exactly right.
Families, anglers finishing a morning on the water, and couples who have been making the trip north from the main strip for years all share the dining room with a comfortable familiarity. It is the kind of place where the staff remembers your order from last summer and asks about your drive down. Service is warm without being performative.
If you are visiting Myrtle Beach and feel the pull to venture beyond the boardwalk area — and you should — make the short drive up Highway 17 toward Cherry Grove. Arrive a little early, especially on weekends, because the locals already know what out-of-towners are still discovering. Bring your appetite, leave your expectations for something fancy behind, and let the waterway view and a plate of genuinely fresh coastal seafood remind you why the Grand Strand has been drawing people to the Carolina coast for generations.
Cherry Grove Fish House is the real thing, and real things are always worth finding.
